KIDS FIRST! Best Tickets

$60 Includes screenings, parties, panels and events. Price only for those who have purchased KIDS FIRST! Best Ticket.
Group tickets -
Call 505-989-8076

Travel Arrangements

There is only one commercial flight a day into Santa Fe so it is best to fly into Albuquerque, NM which is an hour drive away.
Book on the KIDS FIRST! Travel Site and donate to KIDS FIRST! without writing a check! For lodging visit Santa Fe Film Festival's website for festival hotels.

Contact Information

The Coalition for Quality Children’s Media will celebrate its 10th Annual KIDS FIRST! Best Awards Celebration on Saturday, December 5th in Santa Fe, NM at the New Mexico History Museum during the Santa Fe Film Festival.

Returning this year as host is local musician/songwriter, Nancy Kenney.

This year’s Best Awards wil honor more than 30 different categories, including student filmmakers. For a complete list of our 2009 Nominees, go here.

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Panel Description:

How to Get Your Independent Film into Distribution.A panel of five veteran industry insiders will discuss the inner workings behind film and DVD distribution. When should you license it to a major label and when shouldn't you? What's up with Digital distribution? What's the future look like for indie filmmakers? With more than 50 years combined in marketing of independent media, these experts know what works, what doesn’t, and where distribution is headed.
Panelists

Chris Kientz (Cherokee) is an American/Canadian animator, television producer and director. He has worked on a number of children's television series but is perhaps best known for his ongoing work on the award-winning Canadian television series, Raven Tales which was just licensed to the Smithsonian Channel. His work has appeared at the Smithsonian Institution as well as animation festivals worldwide. Kientz has written articles on digital animation techniques for magazines such as ITEA, Keyframe Magazine, National Defense Magazine, and Ones and Zeros. In addition he has done notable work on the research and development of interactive content for defense based security training as a program manager at the Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center at White Sands Missile Range. Currently he continues this work on behalf of the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University where he is the Director of Technology Innovation. He currently serves on the New Mexico Governor's Council on Film and Media Industries to advise on digital media and tax incentives for media production and post production. He is also a consultant on animation for the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University. In addition he is a senior consultant for National Geographic Media Arts.

Sheri Bryant graduated from Stanford University and worked for The Walt Disney Company for three years as a financial analyst of Investments and Funding. She then joined Disney’s Hollywood Pictures film division and began her career as an entertainment executive. At Hollywood Pictures, she oversaw the development process of a wide range of films, and brought in new material, directors and writers.

Sheri then served as Director of Development and Production for distribution and production company Image Organization, where she was involved in all aspects of production, from story inception through post production. During her tenure, the company made multiple films for CBS, HBO, Lifetime, and Artisan.

Sheri’s most recent endeavors are for her company Dog & Rooster Productions, with partner Greg Aronowitz. DRP is dedicated to producing engaging and commercial entertainment for all forms of media. Focused on creating and developing intellectual properties with limitless franchise potential, Dog & Rooster’s current efforts encompass the film, television, and merchandising arenas. Under their umbrella, Sheri recently produced the family adventure film, “Labou” which was shot on location in New Orleans and won “Best of Fest” at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, “Best Family Film” at Houston World Fest 2008, and Best Feature at the BAMKids Film Festival in NY. The film will be distributed by MGM.

Sheri also served as Executive Producer on the Sci-Fi Channel thriller “Battle Planet” directed by Greg in 2008, as well as Discovery Channel’s award winning feature film “Rain” starring Susan Dey and Scott Cooper. She also produced Lions Gate’s “Arachnid” and the horror film “Boo” both of which aired on Sci-Fi Channel. Sheri also has served as a Consulting Producer to Lance Entertainment and Brainstorm Media (Little Men, Bridge to Terebithia), as well as Kismet Entertainment Group (Asylum, Dog Soldiers). She has also ventured into new media, producing Dog & Rooster’s first webisodic series, the sci-fi comedy” Alien Ninja.”

Sheri recently finished principal photography of the comedy “How To Make Love To a Woman.” The film stars Josh Meyers (That 70’s Show, Madtv), Krysten Ritter (27 Dresses, Confessions of a Shopaholic), Ian Somerhalder (Lost, Vampire Diaries), James Hong (Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China), and James Kyson Lee (Heroes). She is currently developing a wide range of projects for both film, television, and new media, and will next be producing the Christmas fantasy “Sugarplumm”.

Sheri serves on the Board of Directors as Co-Vice President for the non-profit organization Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) promoting diversity in Entertainment, is a member of Stanford in Entertainment, and is a Trustee for the charitable Feigenbaum-Nii Foundation. She is also the recipient of the 2007 NATPE LATV Diversity Fellowship.

Margaret Tritch, President of Maitland Primrose Group. Maitland Primrose Group owna Moving Pictures Film and Television, a global distributor of film and television and Moving Pictures Content Division, which produces Moving Pictures Magazine and television shows. Ms. Tritch began running the company in the beginning of 2004. Previously, she worked in international finance and business for eight years. For five years she worked in investment banking at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London, structuring corporate finance transactions and debt and derivative instruments. Prior to that, she worked at financial analysis company, IDEA, in London and New York as corporate counsel and on strategic acquisitions. She is a member of the California Bar and Solicitor in England and Wales. Before working in international finance and business, she was a litigator in Los Angeles. Ms. Tritch has a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

ModeratorRanny Levy, Founder and President, KIDS FIRST!—Ranny created the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media in 1991, dedicated to promoting and nurturing quality children's media as a vehicle for social change. She developed the Coalition’s violence prevention program for the Women, Infants, and Children's Program in New Mexico, reaching 45,000 low income families monthly; its Junior Film Critics Club, training more than 5,000 teachers, librarians, child development specialists, and parents to teach children critical viewing skills; initiated a children's hospital donation project which serves more than 20 million children annually; and launched the touring KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, which travels to 150 venues annually and reaches an audience of more than One Million each year. Ranny is a frequent speaker at conferences, such as Vice President Gore's Family Re-Union, the International Film Festival Conference and the National Association of Family and Community Educators.

KIDS FIRST! Best Award is a project of the

Coalition
for Quality Children's Media, a national, 18-year-old, nonprofit
(501-c-3) organization that is a voluntary collaboration between the
media industry, educators and child advocacy organizations. The mission
of the Coalition is: 1) To teach children to become critical media
users and; 2) To increase the visibility and availability of quality
children's media.